Rumor: Amazon is working on a free music service for Echo speakers

Amazon is said to be planning to release a music service that allows users to listen to music for free, with the intention of doing so on the Echo speaker. The service would be provided with advertisements.

Sources reported this to the generally well-established Billboard. Amazon is said to have had discussions with music labels about offering a catalog of free music, with the service being released as early as next week. Amazon itself did not want to reveal anything about this, so that the necessary details are still missing.

According to Billboard, the plan would be to offer the music streaming service to users of the Echo smart speaker. It is likely that users will then be able to play music with Alexa voice commands. There will be commercials in between the songs.

Amazon already has a music streaming service with Music that requires a monthly payment, comparable to competitors such as Spotify and Apple Music. Although details are still lacking, the service for the Echo seems to be separate from this.